Utility expenses in Pittsburgh, PA for 6 room duplex norm?

Question

I'm going threw some duplex's I've found Interesting that need no work done. Just trying to really narrow down my house hacking plan. What are the normal utility prices in Pittsburgh, PA for lets say a 6 unit 2 bath duplex. And is there way to make tenet's pay any of them. Or if you have any reason I SHOUDN'T make the tenets pay for any of them, being as its duplex and I'm looking house hack it. Any advise and info would really help out!

Also, Ill get better at these post titles one day! lol

Jeremy Taggart · Answer

@Ian Agar I typically try to buy properties that have at least the gas and electric split. That way you don't have tenants abusing those utilities if you pay for them and it helps for resale value when you have them split too. People tend to pay less for properties that don't have split utilities. As for water/sewage that's usually the utility that you don't see split as often as electric and gas. Water/Sewage is a lienable utility in PA meaning if it doesn't get paid, those amounts owed fall on the property owner. So a lot of boroughs/townships require the water/sewage to stay in the owners name even if it is split. Usually in that case you can pay the bills then bill it back to the tenants as they come in. Even if they do allow them in the tenant's name, if you aren't alerted if they were to fall behind then you can be in for a surprise when they would move out and it's back in your name that there is a balance on the account if nobody ever told you. So for that reason sometimes it makes sense to keep water/sewage in your name and bill back as I mentioned before. Regardless if you don't find something that has split utilities and you are paying for all, I would figure you'd be at about $300-$400/month for 2 units give or take.

Max Feinberg · Answer

Definitely make sure you are buying places that have gas and electric split. If you are looking at buildings that are currently not split, it may be worth it to look into the cost of splitting the utilities so the tenants can pay. Even though this will cost a few thousand up front, it will pay for itself in short order.

As Jeremy said, water will almost always fall on the owner due to it being lienable. You could charge each tenant a flat rate each month to at least recoup some of the costs, or you could safely assume that it will be between 100-200 each month for water/sewage.

Andrea Bortolosso · Answer

I'm interested in knowing the same.

Utility expenses in Pittsburgh, PA for 6 room duplex norm?

Utility expenses in Pittsburgh, PA for 6 room duplex norm?

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